2007

 

"Everyone gather 'round, I have an announcement to make," JYP said, walking into the practice room filled with people. Not just any people, trainees of JYP Entertainment. Following JYP was a 17-year-old boy with no Korean looks at all. He was Thai and judging him he did not know the Korean language at all. He stood next to JYP as everyone looked at him weirdly, wondering why he wasn't Korean.

 

"Everyone, this is Nichkhun Horvejkul. He will be joining JYP as of today, I want you to make him feel at home," JYP said, patting Nichkhun on the back. JYP then left the practice room, leaving Nichkhun by himself.

 

"ummm....Hello," he said in English.

 

"Hello!" everyone said back at him in English. He smiled, already feeling like he was part of a family. Then two people approached him: one was 6 feet tall and was as scary as TOP of Big Bang and the other was a girl who looked very fierce. Not tough in apperance, but she was tough and fierce in a way that did not intimidate nor scare Khun. It was as if he fell in love with her.

 

"Nichkhun, right? I'm Taecyeon," the scary looking one said in English, holding his hand out for a handshake. Nichkhun shook the hand and noticed how strong Taecyeon was. Nichkhun was scared of him a little.

 

"What's up? I'm Chaerin," the girl said in English as well, smiling sweetly. Nichkhun smiled back at her. Even though she looked tough and fierce, she was really nice.

 

"NIce to meet you Chaerin," Nichkhun said. To Nichkhun, Chaerin seemed to be a music lover, since half the time he was there he can tell she was devoted to her training. During the boys' break, Nichkhun walked down the hallway and heard Chaerin singing. He took a peak inside the room she was in and she was singing a Rihanna song. One that was very familiar to him since he was from the US.

 

"Grab your clothes and get gone~, before the sprinkles come on~," she sang. Nichkhun laughed to himself and then he laughed louder. Chaerin stopped singing for a second and looked at him.

 

"What's so funny?" she asked in English.

 

"Chaerin it's sprinklers, not sprinkles," he said in English, still laughing.

 

"-.-....that's what I just said, sprinkles," she said. To him, her English was pretty much perfect, but there were probably some English words that when she says them it sounds funky.

 

"Your English is perfect and everything, you just need to work on it a little bit more," he said. Chaerin nodded and went back to singing while Nichkhun walked back to the practice room where he was training. He never got to see Chaerin after training, so he went back to the little apartment he lived in. He hoped to see Chaerin again the next day, as he went to sleep with a smile on his face.

 

The Next Day

 

Nichkhun came to JYP not looking forward to the gruelsome training but to seeing Chaerin. That girl since yesterday seemed to brighten his day with her smile and her funky English. When he got there.....she wasn't there. He wondered if Chaerin had taken a sick day or something. He decided to ask a few people, starting with Taecyeon.

 

"Uhhh, Taecyeon," he said.

 

"What's up?" Taecyeon asked.

 

"Do you know what happened to Chaerin?" Nichkhun asked.

 

"What happened to Chaerin? Why do you wanna know?" Taecyeon asked.

 

"I'm just curious. Will she be back tomorrow?" Nichkhun asked.

 

"She won't be back tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that," Sohee said, approaching both Nichkhun and Taecyeon.

 

"What did you say?" Nichkhun asked, since he doesn't know Korean.

 

"Chaerin's not coming back, Nichkhun," YeEun said in English, standing beside Sohee. Both Sohee and YeEun were part of JYP's girl group, the Wonder Girls. Nichkhun was told about them by Chaerin yesterday during lunch.

 

"What do you mean?" Nichkhun asked.

 

"She transferred to YG Entertainment, where she's gonna continue her training and possibly debut as an artist. She's a good rapper and singer and all, but I don't think she has a chance to debut here so she auditioned at YG and made it," Yoobin said. It was then Nichkhun realized he may never see Chaerin ever again. If he debuts and she debuts at the same time he might be able to see her on stage, but he lost hope in ever seeing her again.

 

2009, Inkigayo

 

About a year later, Nichkhun debuted with Taecyeon, Junsu, Junho, Wooyoung, Jaebeom, and Chansung as JYP's new boy group, 2PM. Their other half was 2AM which consisted of Jo Kwon, Changmin (not the Changmin from DBSK), Seulong, and Jinwoon. Together they were 2ONEDAY. Nichkhun, up to this day, is wondering if he'll ever see Chaerin again, and that day came.

 

"2NE1 on stage in 5!" the Inkigayo PD yelled. Nichkhun was walking around and he heard that for the first time. What...or who was 2NE1? He saw 4 girls come out of a dressing room: one had on a short skirt dress on, one had her hair up in the style of a palm tree, one was 15 but seemed like an dancer of some sort. and then there was one who almost fit the description of Chaerin: looks tough and fierce but really is a kind person. Nichkhun wondered, is this the Chaerin he knew before?

 

"Yah, CL, stop that~!" the palm tree hair one said as "CL" was playing with her palm tree hair.

 

"But Dara unni your hair is so fun to play with!" CL said. Nichkhun wondered again if this "CL" was Chaerin. CL fit the description of Chaerin, but to Nichkhun if CL was Chaerin, was this fate that brought them together. It's been two years since he last saw her.

 

"2NE1 on stage in one minute!" Inkigayo PD said.

 

"Yah, Chaerin unni, let's go!" the 15 year old said.

 

"Ok ok Minji," CL said, being dragged onto the stage by Minji.

 

"That is Chaerin," Nichkhun said to himself, but he was very unsure of it. He waited until the performance was done. Minji had chased Dara and the one called Bom into the dressing room and CL saw Nichkhun. CL looked at him curiously, as if she recognized him.

 

"Chaerin...is...that you?" Nichkhun asked. CL gave a confused look for a moment, but Nichkhun quickly refreshed her mind.

 

"Grab your clothes and get gone, before the....what was it? Sprinkles?" Nichkhun said, laughing to himself.

 

"Jeez even now you still make fun of me!" CL said, slapping him playfully.

 

"Ahhh so you remember me now, huh?" Nichkhun asked.

 

"Well I don't remember you speaking Korean," CL said as she was impressed by Nichkhun's Korean. It was as perfect as any Koreans, and he wasn't Korean at all.

 

"I've been working on my Korean since you left JYP," Nichkhun said. It was true, 2PM bandmate Junsu was helping him with his Korean since the day CL left JYP.

 

"And I honestly don't remember you as a leader of a girl group," Nichkhun said. He thought that CL (or to him just Chaerin) would just be a successful singer or rapper, but because of her fierceness and toughness it landed her a spot in 2NE1 as the leader. Charismatic Leader CL the one and only baddest female, as Nichkhun remembered that's the name she was given at YG. He heard that from Sohee, who still kept contact with CL.

 

"Well at YG, the best of the best is always the leader. For example, Big Bang's G-Dragon, he's the best of the best that's why he's the leader. As for me, I've only been there for two years and already I was considered the best. I had potential. That's why I'm the leader," CL said with a confident voice. Even in her voice she had this sense of pride. She was proud to be a leader.

 

"Yah CL where are you!? We're going soon!" Dara shouted.

 

"Aish, gotta go, see you sometime Nichkhun," CL said, going into 2NE1's dressing room. Nichkhun was smiling because he got to see Chaerin again. What she doesn't know is....deep down inside Nichkhun he really loves her. And since then there was one thing that he was asking for on Christmas: her love.

 

A year later, December 2010, 12 days before Christmas

 

CL laid down on her bed in the dorm she now shares with Minzy. No more bumping her head on the ceiling, no more Bommie unni and Dara unni goofing off at night, and no more of Dara unni's complaining about the bunk bed. But since Dara and Bom are one floor above Minzy and CL, CL can still hear Dara and Bom arguing over Tam Tam, being silly, Bom's "Don't Touch My..." speech, and once in a while Dara reminiscing the "Filipino Days" by singing her famous In or Out song. But CL enjoyed this a lot. Since Minzy was always out and about most of the time with Dara, she had the dorm to herself. As for Bom, she would go exercise whenever Dara was out and about. Today was just that: Dara and Minzy had gone Christmas shopping while Bom went to work out, knowing that she would be eating a lot at YG's Christmas party. CL had been listening to 2PM lately, for some reason when she does it brings back her JYP Trainee days. She once saw a picture on the internet of her and Miss A's Min on the internet, which was how the reminiscing started. Once in a while she would text or call Nichkhun and they would talk for hours, even late at night. It annoyed Minzy a lot, and sometimes Minzy would show up to practice looking like a pands, making her look like she could be female Seungri and not female Daesung. One time in the middle of the night, Minzy heard CL moan Nichkhun's name. Shocking to her but that wasn't the first time she heard one of the members having a wet dream. She remembers Dara having a wet dream of Lee Minho days before Dara had filmed that beer commercial with him. CL was listening to 2PM's new album, still 2:00 PM. There was one song that she couldn't stop listening to. That song was I Can't.

 

"I can't forget you love~," CL sang to herself as she was surfing the internet. Then she fell upon one song. She knew it was almost Christmas so to get into the Christmas spirit she might as well listen to Christmas music. But it wasn't just any song. It was a song done by all of JYP. They call themselves JYP Nation.

 

"This Christmas?" CL said to herself. She looked around, Minzy wasn't back yet, neither was Dara and Bom. Total silence. She stopped playing 2PM and played this song.And boy was it a Christmas song. It was more of a Christmas love song but it was so Christmas-y that CL got up and danced to it. Toward the end of the song, CL stopped dancing and listened to the words at the end. It was Nichkhun all right, speaking. The words he said kept ringing in CL's head like crazy.

 

Yeah, I just wish that this year it'll be different

No more lonely Christmas

I wanna fall in love this Christmas

 

"Fall in love this Christmas," CL said to herself. Nichkhun's words were stuck in CL's head. As she got bored again, she resorted to watching TV, where We Got Married was the first thing that came on when she the TV. She noticed the couple they were focusing on: Nichkhun and Victoria.

 

"....They sorta look like a cute couple....but I wouldn't pass them for a real couple," CL said. It was evident that CL really liked Nichkhun but sometimes doesn't show it. She also knows that in a way Nichkhun likes her too, and he really does not enjoy being with Victoria.

 

"Why does it have to be her, why not me?" she said to herself. Dara was one of the contenders to be in We Got Married. She was supposed to be paired up with Nichkhun but YG had turned down the offer for Dara. 2NE1 was busy at the time so I guess it was only right to turn down such an amazing offer. Then as CL was watching We Got Married, Minzy came home.

 

"Again with the We Got Married show," Minzy said, putting her bags filled with Christmas presents down and sitting next to CL.

 

"What did you buy?" CL asked, looking through one of the bags.

 

"Don't look!" Minzy said, slapping her unni's hand.

 

"Ow~," CL said, rubbing her hand.

 

"Wait til Christmas to see your presents, I gotta start wrapping some of these," Minzy said, going to her closet to get the wrapping paper.

 

"These gifts aren't just for us, they're also for your church friends," CL said, remembering that Minzy's the only one that goes to church. Dara has no religion, CL's a catholic that "don't give a damn about church because it's a waste of her time", and Bom....god knows what Bom does on a Sunday besides work out and get scolded by 2NE1's personal trainer about eating corn.

 

"Yes but do you know which ones are my church friends?" Minzy asked as she started to wrap each present.

 

"Uh....I can only think of Sooyoung and Hyoyeon of SNSD," CL said. She knew all of Minzy's church friends, she was just too lazy to name them all.

 

"Aish Chaerin unni, you can only name two you lazy . There's Sooyoung unni, Hyoyeon unni, Amber unni, Bekah unni, IU, Luna, Siwon oppa, YoonA unni, and......Tiffany Unni ewwwww," Minzy said, cringing at the name Tiffany. Tiffany of SNSD. Minzy never understood why she was friends with her. She thought it was because she was friends with Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, and YoonA that Tiffany randomly became Minzy's friend, and Minzy, Sooyoung, YoonA, and Hyoyeon never liked Tiffany.

 

"Whoa why the you get Tiffany a present, you don't really like her. Plus I think she doesn't deserve a present from you," CL said, sitting up watching Minzy wrap the presents.

 

"I got her something, I got her a box of condoms for Christmas," Minzy said. Both Minzy and CL laughed at that.

 

"Of course, she needs protection if she's gonna do it on Christmas," CL said, still laughing with Minzy.

 

"Mhm, she keeps a 9mm next to the bed," Minzy said, laughing. CL flipped the channel and saw a music video. Not just any music video, it was the one for JYP Nation's Christmas song. CL stopped laughing and focused on the TV, watching the music video. Minzy just looked at CL then at the TV.

 

 

"Aish, Chaerin unni's reminiscing the JYP days," Minzy said while wrapping the presents. CL couldn't recognize some of the people at all. She recognized most of them but not all.

 

"What happened to HyunA? And Sunmi? And Jaebeom oppa?" CL asked. Last time CL was there, HyunA was part of the Wonder Girls along with Sunmi. As for Jaebeom, he was just a trainee and when CL left he debuted with 2PM then left shortly after being there for a year.

 

"HyunA's part of 4minute under Cube, Sunmi left for school, and Jaebeom oppa's in America," Minzy answered.

 

"Then....who's there that I don't know of?" CL asked.

 

"Kim Yoobin, replacement for HyunA after HyunA left. Hye Lim replaced Sunmi and there's a new rapper named San-E who just recently joined JYP," Minzy said.

 

"Ohhhh," CL said.

 

"Oh yeah, I think I saw one of your JYP friends while I was shopping with Dara unni....Chansung I think....I dunno the same guy I was dancing with for that Halloween special," Minzy said.

 

"From 2PM?" CL asked.

 

"Yeah there was two of them remember? I saw one of them at the mall," Minzy said.

 

"What did he say?" CL asked.

"Told me that JYP's gonna have a Christmas party, they're inviting you," Minzy said. CL went into shock.  She was invited to JYP's Christmas party. She then started to squeal. She was excited to go see her JYP family again.

 

"You think they could let me bring all of 2NE1?" CL asked.

 

"I asked, he said you can take 2NE1 with," Minzy said.

 

"Cool, can't wait," CL said. Meanwhile, the said 2PM member that Minzy met at the mall returned to 2PM's dorm where Nichkhun was waiting for a response.

 

"Well?" Nichkhun asked as he stood up from the couch seeing the 2PM member enter the dorm. The 2PM took off his scarf and jacket and put down his hood revealing himself. It was Wooyoung.

 

"Didn't see Chaerin, but I did see one of her members. The one I danced with for Halloween. Minzy was her name. She was with one of the older members Christmas shopping," Wooyoung said.

 

"What did Minzy say?" Nichkhun asked.

 

"She said 2NE1 would be happy to come," Wooyoung said.

 

"So Chaerin is gonna be at the party," Nichkhun said.

 

"What are you gonna do with Victoria, she's gonna be there too," Wooyoung said, mentioning Khun's "wife" from the show.

 

"Have the boys keep her busy...or at least kick her out," Nichkhun said. He knew Victoria would keep him away from confessing his love to CL. He wasn't gonna let that happen.

 

Few Days Later, JYP Christmas Party, JYP Entertainment

 

It's been a long time since CL's been inside JYP. She walked down the hallways and already she reminisced the good times she had with Sohee, Min, Sunmi, HyunA, and the boys of 2PM and 2AM. Minzy, Dara, and Bom were amused by the storues CL was telling them of her JYP days. Then CL stopped at a practice room.

 

"Why did we stop Chaerin?" Dara asked.

 

"This is the very practice room Nichkhun made fun of my English," CL said.

 

"You mean the sprinkles thing?" Bom asked.

 

"Yep. It was my last day in JYP. I was singing Take a Bow before YG came over to check me out. Nichkhun heard me singing and made fun of my English," CL said, continuing to walk toward the practice room where the party was. Turned out 4minute was here, since HyunA and leader Nam Jihyun were previously JYP trainees. Sunmi was here as well, since she is former Wonder Girls along with HyunA. Jaebeom was here, too, former 2PM leader. Yoobin, who is the Wonder Girls' rapper, had invited G.NA, UEE of After School, and Hyosung of Secret. All four of them became the former members of Five Girls, the group that was to debut before but disbanded due to money problems. The fifth member, Yang Jiwon, became a model (and supposedly was the girl that Cheondung kissed in those chapstick commercials), while the other 4 pursued music careers (well....UEE pursued both acting and music careers). CL looked to her members, who couldn't wait to party.

 

"Ok, you three have fun," CL said. Dara, Bom, and Minzy went their separate ways and CL went over to where HyunA and Sunmi were.

 

"Chaerin!" Sunmi said, seeing CL.

 

"Oh my god, it's CL!" HyunA said.

 

"CL?" Sunmi asked.

 

"That's her name now, CL," HyunA said 

 

"It's my rapper name at YG," CL said.

 

"Ohhhhh, speaking of YG, how is it there?" Sunmi asked. Before CL could answer, Jo Kwon and Nichkhun entered the party with Ga-in and Victoria. Upon seeing the "Khuntoria" couple, CL had this sad look on her face.

 

"Oh my god, they're such a cute couple!" Sunmi said.

 

"Who?" HyunA and CL asked in unison.

 

"Khun and Victoria," Sunmi said.

 

"Not really," HyunA said, looking at Nichkhun and Victoria. Sunmi took another look at the two then made a quick realization that HyunA was right.

 

"You're right, not really," Sunmi said, going back to eating her gingerbread cookie. Then Jihyun walked over to the three, standing at HyunA's side.

 

"I always thought Chaerin and Nichkhun would make a good couple," Jihyun said.

 

"Ahem," CL said. Jihyun turned around and saw CL.

 

"O.O Chaerin did you actually hear what I said?" she asked.

 

"Yeah I did....you really think that....Nichkhun oppa and I make a cute couple?" CL asked. Jihyun nodded.  Then YeEun, along with Sohee, came over hearing the conversation of CL and Khun as a couple.

 

"It's true, Chaerin. It was pretty obvious when he first met you. He couldn't take his eyes off you and when you were gone the next day he was actually looking foward to seeing you again. When he saw you again it was like the first day he met you. He's miserable without you," YeEun said. 

 

"I think Chaerin unni likes Khun oppa," Sohee said. Sohee was right, CL does like Nichkhun. But the whole party she couldn't get near him because Victoria was always around him. She resorted to being around Dara or Minzy, but sometimes she was found with some of the JYP people. While CL was trying to get near Nichkhun without Victoria around, Dara, Minzy, and Bom made some friends of their own. For example, Minzy met a coupe of maknaes like her: Kwon Sohyun of 4minute and Bae Suzy of Miss A. CL then started thinking that she would never tell Nichkhun the truth that she really likes him...until her so called Blackjack luck came into play.

 

"Oops~!" Wooyound said as he accidentally spilled his drink on Victoria's lap.

 

"Ugh, I'll be right back," she said, getting up and leaving the party to clean up the mess on her dress. It was CL's chance at last. She quickly sat down next to Nichkhun.

 

"Haven't seen you at all today," Nichkhun said, looking at CL.

 

"Well. I've been busy talking to other people," CL said.

 

"And because of Victoria being around me, right?" Nichkhun asked. CL looked down for a bit but then Nichkhun lifted her head up, looking at him.

 

"I don't like her to begin with," he began," it's just a publicity act...for more popularity."

 

"That's very understandable," CL said.

 

"Tell me something, Chaerin," Nichkhun said.

 

"Like what?" CL asked.

 

"...How come you left JYP?" Nichkhun asked curiously.

 

"...I was really aiming for YG, where the best rappers, dancers, and singers were at...no matter how you looked," she began, "JYP was just my warm-up so I can get into YG."

 

"And your JYP training has paid off, look at you now....leader of a successful girl group," Nichkhun said, praising CL's success. As soon as Victoria came into the room both Minzy and Wooyoung worked together to keep her away from CL and Nichkhun.

 

"So you really don't like Victoria? At all? And the whole We Got Married thing...is just a publicity stunt?" CL asked.

 

"Yep, we're not a real couple at all," Nichkhun said.

 

"Then....who do you like?" CL asked curiously. Nichkhun didn't want it to be too obvious that he likes her. He thought for a moment, then started to describe his "ideal girl".

 

"I don't like just any girl," he began,"There's one in particular that I like. I met her when I first joined JYP. She looked tough and fierce with lots of charisma, but she was really nice as well. Her English was amusing as well, since instead of sprinklers, she says sprinkles. I only saw her for that day, and never saw her again. But then I did see her again. I saw her as the leader of a girl group, and when she got on stage she blew me away with her charisma and rapping. Any guy would be lucky to be with her...but I know to her there's one guy for her."

 

CL thought for a moment for who could that possibly be. Then out of nowhere from above, Taecyeon and Dara put a mistletoe above them. Then CL realized that Nichkhun likes her. This whole time the girl that Nichkhun wanted was right in front of him. She got closer to him and then he looked at her. For a moment there was silence and CL's face turned a little red. CL then spoke to break the silence.

 

"In other words....you like me," she said. He nodded and then CL blushed even more. She had to tell him.

 

"Truth is...I like you too," she said, smiling. He smiled back at her, and they both looked up seeing the mistletoe above them.

 

"Oh, don't mind us, pretend we're not here!" Dara said as Taecyeon was still holding the mistletoe above CL and Nichkhun.

 

"You know what they say, the two people under the mistletoe must kiss each other," Nichkhun said. Their faces got closer and closer until their lips locked, sealing the kiss. Then CL pulled away and smiled. Nichkhun smiled back and cuddled her in his arms, watching a furious Victoria leave the party.

 

"You wanna know something, oppa?" CL asked curiously.

 

"What's that?" Nichkhun asked.

 

"In the Christmas song....you said you wanted to fall in love this Christmas and not a lonely Christmas....you actually got what you wanted this year," CL said.

 

"Yep, I sure did," Nichkhun said, kissing her on the lips. And that's exactly what Nichkhun got that Christmas, he got to spend it with the one he loved the most.

---

Author's Note:

-CL was previously a JYP Trainee for 5 years before training with YG for 2 years prior to debut with 2NE1

-I was unsure of Nichkhun entering JYP, so I let him enter JYP as a trainee about around the time CL would've left JYP for YG.

-Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

Hammy <3